Friday, September 16, 2011

Tinder


Tinder is essential to get a fire started in the wilderness. The idea here is to gather DRY materials that will light very easily. A few sparks will get good tinder to catch fire. Here are some suggestions for material to use as tinder:

  • Birch bark, dried grasses, fine wood shavings, cotton fluff, bird down and waxed paper.
  • Pine needles, pulverized fir cones and the inner bark from cedar trees
  • Dried fungi, scorched or charred linen/cotton.
  • Dry nests of mice or birds.
The easiest way to light timber is obviously going to be a device or tool designed to create fire such as a lighter or matches. In a pinch though you can use other methods such as using a lens (to focus sunlight), flint and steel, a fire bow, a hand drill, or a fire plough. In future articles I'll go over how to use these fire starting methods in more detail.
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38 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2011 at 1:42 PM

    Good information. I always fail trying to light a fire. D:

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  2. Jara ChristensenSeptember 16, 2011 at 4:47 PM

    What a cool idea for a blog. Im loving it!

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  3. Enigmatic VaporSeptember 16, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    Interesting! Thanks for the information.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2011 at 6:27 PM

    I need practice at making fires, this should help thanks :D

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  5. AstarothSeptember 16, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    Nice! something to try out in my back yard!

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  6. neatfitSeptember 16, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    Everyone loves playing with fire, nice post, not only am I going to watch bear grylls, I'm going to follow your blog.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2011 at 11:25 PM

    I've started fires with Birch bark a lot. Especially when I was in Alaska. That stuff is everywhere up there

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  8. Max PowerSeptember 16, 2011 at 11:32 PM

    I've got to get myself a flint and have some fun with it.

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  9. ShashSeptember 17, 2011 at 1:47 AM

    What about VERY dry moss?

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  10. OutcastSeptember 17, 2011 at 3:29 AM

    Thanks for sharing man. Your blog is definitely a nice accompaniment to Bear Grylls as someone else said in the comments here.

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  11. my day in a sentenceSeptember 17, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    This is a must- know. :)

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  12. DesperoSeptember 17, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    nice post and great blog + following

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  13. Scrubby BearSeptember 17, 2011 at 2:58 PM

    Very useful tip. Thank you for sharing.

    I look forward to getting lost in the Forrest ;)

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  14. ShawSeptember 17, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    I heard dried grass with animal poop in it burns forever.

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  15. DWeiSeptember 18, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    Dried moss works well too.

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  16. ScrewsAndFeathersSeptember 18, 2011 at 4:17 AM

    Yeah, the guy above me is right about the dried moss :).

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  17. StyronSeptember 18, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    saw this on Bear Grylls ;)

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  18. doraSeptember 18, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    thanks for sharing! could come in handy someday

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  19. FoxzeroSeptember 18, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    yay though this time i knew your what you wrote =3 still to repeat the basics are always useful thx ^^

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  20. A Beer for the ShowerSeptember 19, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Dry and withered, eh? Part of me wonders if Joan Rivers would be a wise addition to my camping trip.

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  21. MilkySeptember 19, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    Tried this not that long ago.. it's bloody hard xD

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  22. animestanSeptember 20, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    Reminds me of days from camping. Birch bark is your best friend.

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  23. Daily Car ReviewsSeptember 20, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    burn it, yeah!

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  24. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    Lol burnnnnn!!!!

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  25. GMSoccerPicksSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:39 PM

    I saw a guy on tv lighting a fire with a bag full of piss. True story

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  26. Electric AddictSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    hmmmm a fire bow you say?

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  27. StigmataHandjobSeptember 25, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    Basic and very useful tip. Looking forward to the next post, as always. :)

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  28. JustinSeptember 27, 2011 at 1:23 AM

    i love making fires from scratch!

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  29. Ante BabajaSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    i knew that :p

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  30. AOctober 1, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    Being able to make fires is an important life skill, and probably the only useful thing gained from spending years in Boy Scouts.

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  31. AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 9:53 PM

    definitely looking forward to your future posts on fire man. followed!

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  32. Daily Car ReviewsOctober 3, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    i returned again after a long time so make sure to check out my blog again.

    Here´s the link:

    http://blorriepoes.blogspot.com !!

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  33. JDCOctober 18, 2011 at 2:05 AM

    Important to remember. Without fire we are no better than the animals, apart from maybe the fire ant.

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  34. Simon blackOctober 26, 2011 at 12:08 PM

    "In future articles I'll go over how to use these fire starting methods in more detail."

    Sounds interesting, can't wait.

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  35. Poetry of the DayNovember 2, 2011 at 5:48 PM

    nice way to start fires i hear.

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  36. taioNovember 5, 2011 at 3:39 AM

    excelente entrada

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  37. jerzey72November 8, 2011 at 2:18 AM

    Dude i love this stuff. Right after i go try starting a fire in my back yard, Im putting you on follow.

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  38. Alex RoweJanuary 2, 2012 at 9:22 PM

    Basic survival skills such as this will be valuable for the impending zombie apocalypse!

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